Round The Ball: Lent – 2009

This was a full one.  I joined my dad and JP from World Relief in a meeting with a great organization here called “Possibilities Africa.”  This is a group of young Nairobi guys who are generating small business ideas through partnership with the local church.  This was also an opportunity to see my dad in his “business and marketing” element — he listened to each of the business plans and shared plenty of his “grey-haired wisdom” around the table for a solid couple of hours.  Don’t tell him this, but even I ended up jotting down a couple of good ‘take-away’ points — and I don’t have an entrepreneurial business bone in my body!

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From there we headed off to the Rift Valley towards Kijabe to visit some folks working at the Moffatt Bible School there near the hospital.  This was both an incredibly scenic drive, and some good time in the car with dad and JP of World Relief.  I’d been to Kijabe before, but was great to return — and good to interact with the person at the Bible School who puts a lot of their curriculum together.  (I’ve always got a nose for some of the training, curriculum design partnerships out there!)

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I’ve got some great stories to tell about our return to Nairobi and JP handing over the keys to his car so that dad and I could drive over to a neighborhood where future InnerCHANGE folks might be living.  Yes, I was driving the car.  Yes,  my dad was a wee bit nervous.   We had a great time though, and had a good look at the neighborhood there.  (Driving in downtown Nairobi in rush hour was exciting too.)

After a non-eventful flight on a mostly empty airplane (I had a row to myself to stretch out on), I shuffle my way through the Nairobi airport and step into a dense, unforgiving early morning fog. The familiar smoke and rubbish smell of Nairobi welcomed me with the mist. This time it feels familiar and welcoming.

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My dad greets me and off we go on a wild “by-pass” route that circumnavigates the city traffic jams and affords us what feels like an off-road safari.

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There is already talk of more political unrest on the radio-waves. The peace talks are disintegrating and Kofi Annan is talking of walking away from his mediating role. Many foreigners are actually talking of taking their kids out of school tomorrow and keeping an eye on their “exit” plan in case things turn into chaos. I’m not sure it’s really all that serious, yet. But the situation here is still tense and has that “on the verge” feel that makes some people nervous.

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There’s no way to replay it, but I sat in a meeting of pastors, NGO leaders and other people with national connections that reach all the way to the top as they discussed the fragility of the political choices set before Kenya at this point in time. Its a fascinating seat to be in — listening to nationals (from both tribes and all political persuasions) contemplate the future structure of their government.

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My dad and I were invited to join a World Relief inspector on a walk into Kibera slum to verify that food aid was reaching the right people. Dad took some great pictures (something I’d never have the guts to do) — and we had an experience in a school-room full of children, mostly AIDS orphans, that I simply can’t put into any words right now. I’m not sure whether Pam would have smiled and sang with the children, or joined me in my inner desire to weep.

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This was my second time walking through Kibera, and it was no less moving. How do I capture the impact of over a million people living in rusted tin-shacks with no running water?

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These are just a few of my first day encounters. I’ll try and update more in the morning.